Deep underneath Wembley and away from where England’s party was really beginning to kick off, Sarina Wiegman seemed to lean in as she shared one of the secrets behind their historic success. A manager who has made not only a transformative effect on this team but English football as a whole by guiding the Lionesses to their first major international title, did so while naming the same starting line-up throughout Euro 2022, and she was about to reveal how.
Firstly, there are reasons this had never been done before in the history of the European Championships, and why a manager may choose to change one of their starting 11 at least once when there are another 12 waiting, hungry and desperate, for the same opportunity. Although out of a manager’s control, fitness and injuries are a key reason, and it’s certainly an area where England had good fortune compared to other countries at Euro 2022.
